Cumbria Wildlife Trust: spotlight on Wildlife Woodland Workshops

We are proud to be a corporate sponsor of this important charity, which looks after much of our wildlife and habitats here in Cumbria.

Our autumn spotlight is on Brown Robin nature reserve, near Grange over Sands.  You can visit this Cumbria Wildlife Trust peaceful limestone woodland any time of the year and it’s free of charge.

Why not support the Cumbria Wildlife Trust by becoming a member?  

With fantastic views of Whitbarrow scar, and over the Kent estuary to Arnside, the woodland is full of ash and hazel, with dense yew in places.  In the spring you’ll enjoy sweeping wild garlic or ramsons, and bluebells here.

Brown Robin summer view by John Morrison

Look out for yellow meadow ant hills on Blawith Hill, a tasty treat for the green woodpeckers!  You may be lucky enough to see the elusive hawfinches or the resident roe deer.  In the autumn especially on Merlewood Bank, you’ll see plenty of colourful waxcap fungi.  In the spring, it’s time for a magnificent display of bluebells, wood anemone, wild garlic, wild thyme and primroses and summer brings the wild-flower meadow alive.  You may also get to see chiffchaff, blackcap, robin, wren, long-tailed tits, hawfinch and sparrowhawk.

This autumn, the Trust have trialled a number of after-dark Woodland Workshops – a wildlife adventure, discovering how nocturnal creatures make the world their own after sun-down here, led by one of the Reserve Officers, and a Woodland Warden.

As day turned to dusk, guests enjoyed a walk through the serene woodlands of Brown Robin taking in the sights and sounds of the season, with views of Morecambe Bay glittering in the distance.

Waxcap Fungi Brown Robin Reserve

They spent the evening under-canvas in the hide, carefully positioned on the edge of the woods to overlook a badger sett – the den where they slumber during the day, getting cosy with blankets and cushions, and settling in for some wildlife spotting.  With night-vision equipment, the sights of badgers foraging, playing and exploring was easier to see. Bat detectors helped capture the sounds of bat calls – too high-pitched for humans to hear –and had a conversation about identifying the different species swooping overhead. Dusk is a great time too for watching deer and foxes roaming through the undergrowth.

Cumbria Wildlife Trust are looking to put on more of these events for 2022, so look out for future Cumbria Wildlife Trust events on their website, or join as a member and receive their annual calendar of events.

Browse our Grange-over-Sands cottages here